I have my car two years now. When I drive, I have my left elbow rest on the upper part of the inside door panel. This is close to the window channel. I noticed there is a crack (about one inch) in the door panel where my elbow sits. I went to the dealer and showed them it. The service writer said not to worry about it, just leave it alone. I said yes, I will worry about it and want it replaced. He told me it was not under warranty and would cost me alot. I told him I was under the 4/50 warranty. He called over the service manager. They saw the door and then said something to each other. The service writer said he would call me in a few days (I thought they were ordering the part). Over two weeks later I did not hear from them and I gave them a call yesterday. He told me the service manager spoke to a Lexus rep and they will only pay for 30%. I asked why should I have to pay for something that is a defect and is still under the 4/50? I told him I will call Lexus corporate. I called yesterday and am waiting to get a call back.

I drove the same way with my Tercel that I had for over 13 years and NEVER had this problem.

Has this damaged happened to anyone else?

Any suggestions?

As you can see there are no wear marks to the material from my elbow resting there, just a crack.

Show them the front bumper, then show them the rear bumper, then point to the door, indicating that it is located between the two bumpers.

If they don't understand that, show them the phone number for the BBB in your cell phone.

you crack me up

Mine had an indentation there from the same thing but it never started to crack. I didnt have my car as long as you did. IMO they should take care of you. You need to find another dealer that is willing to work with you. IMO they didnt call anyone.

Yes, I did tell/show them where my elbow rests. Problem is when I went to the dealer I had 49,700 miles, I now have 50,400 so I really can't.

Thats fine. You're only a little over. Just take it in to another dealer and show them the problem. Don't tell them you rest your elbow there or you caused it somehow. Dealers will use anything to deny warranty, even though this is clearly a problem with the panel.

Knowing what the prevailing attitudes are here on CL, I guess I'm in the minority when I ask; Why do you expect/demand the delearship to fix a door panel that was damaged by what would be considered abuse (that's an extreme term, but calling it wear and tear would not explain the crack).
If it were a materials defect, then I could see them covering it...
You do understand that in the current economy with the car business tanking the way it is, Lexus/Toyota and every other manufacturer are trying to save money where ever they can (that means no more give away "warranty" issues) and taking it to another dealership I doubt will solve the issue.
Perhaps if you spent a little money at the dealership they may be more inclined to replace the panel for you, like having them do the 60k service.
I wish you luck with getting it fixed for free, but I think that one way or another its going to cost you money to fix the panel YOU cracked.

I have my car two years now. When I drive, I have my left elbow rest on the upper part of the inside door panel. This is close to the window channel. I noticed there is a crack (about one inch) in the door panel where my elbow sits. I went to the dealer and showed them it. The service writer said not to worry about it, just leave it alone. I said yes, I will worry about it and want it replaced. He told me it was not under warranty and would cost me alot. I told him I was under the 4/50 warranty. He called over the service manager. They saw the door and then said something to each other. The service writer said he would call me in a few days (I thought they were ordering the part). Over two weeks later I did not hear from them and I gave them a call yesterday. He told me the service manager spoke to a Lexus rep and they will only pay for 30%. I asked why should I have to pay for something that is a defect and is still under the 4/50? I told him I will call Lexus corporate. I called yesterday and am waiting to get a call back.

I drove the same way with my Tercel that I had for over 13 years and NEVER had this problem.

Has this damaged happened to anyone else?

Any suggestions?

Pictures will be posted soon of crack

call lexus corporate number, i would think this is clealry a warranty issue.

ultimately it would be up to your dealership. what the guy said a few posts up, if you've taken your car to that dealership and had your car serviced they would be more inclined to take care of you. after your 4/50 goes out, sometimes dealerships will goodwill things after the fact, but will look at your vehicle service history before they do so. hope that helps and gl!

If you have read my 'headlight melting' post, you will see I had a more ridiculous experience from the dealership.

Do you think the plastic cover melting should be within the warranty? Both the service dept. manager, the mechanic and I saw the melting in person. But could you guess what the manager commented?

He said: 'Oh, this is just an IMPERFECTION, no warranty'. Oh yeh, using the word 'imperfection', he can avoid any warranty repair. Like, if your engine caught fire during driving, he can say 'it is just an imperfection of the engine'; if all the wheels fall off on the highway your car crashed and you are dead, he will say to the public 'it is just some imperfection of the wheel bearings, and also imperfection in driver's life'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhatYaGot

I have my car two years now. When I drive, I have my left elbow rest on the upper part of the inside door panel. This is close to the window channel. I noticed there is a crack (about one inch) in the door panel where my elbow sits. I went to the dealer and showed them it. The service writer said not to worry about it, just leave it alone. I said yes, I will worry about it and want it replaced. He told me it was not under warranty and would cost me alot. I told him I was under the 4/50 warranty. He called over the service manager. They saw the door and then said something to each other. The service writer said he would call me in a few days (I thought they were ordering the part). Over two weeks later I did not hear from them and I gave them a call yesterday. He told me the service manager spoke to a Lexus rep and they will only pay for 30%. I asked why should I have to pay for something that is a defect and is still under the 4/50? I told him I will call Lexus corporate. I called yesterday and am waiting to get a call back.

I drove the same way with my Tercel that I had for over 13 years and NEVER had this problem.

You reported the defect prior to the expiration of the warranty. The fact that they didn't take care of it yet is irrelevant. Your inside door panel should not crack. I disagree with the poster above that resting your arm on the window constitutes abuse!

Call Lexus and ask them why their customer service has deteriorated so much since they first started selling cars in the US!